Italian Cooking with Chef Pozzati on the Cape

Chef Pozzati was fantastic!

Pasta instruction.

Our January cooking class with head chef Fabio Pozzati from Osteria La Civetta was a huge success. Chef Pozzati has loads of personality and charm. The food and wine tasting was wonderful. Chef Pozzati mixed instruction in the age old methods of creating authentic bolognase meat sauce and egg pasta, with stories about growing up in Northern Italy. He mixed the pasta by hand on the granite counter top then explained the proper method of kneading, rolling, hand cutting and stuffing the tortelloni and ravioli. He entertained us with stories about his grandmother and her friends making miniature tortelloni by wrapping the pasta around their little fingers. We were also treated to some history of how the dishes were developed and how they have evolved over the years.

We are looking forward to Chef Pozzatti’s next class on February 11th when we will watch him create traditional Northern Italian holiday desserts. This class is a must for anyone with a cultured sweet tooth.

Each Holiday in Bologna has its cake: the “Tronchetto di Natale” for Christmas and Brazadela, or Ciambella, for Easter are offered to relatives and friends during the various parish feasts in town.

Tronchetto di Natale is a tasty and very elegant recipe from Haute Cuisine for a Christmas Dessert, made with cocoa, cream and “Pan di Spagna”. This Traditional cake is shaped like a log. The “pan di Spagna” is rolled in chocolate and decorated to resemble a Yule log.

Brazadela, one of the most traditional cakes of the Region is quite easy to make. It’s wonderful for breakfast, dipped into warm milk or caffe’ latte. It’s also nice at the end of the meal, either with a glass of dessert wine or dipped in zabaione or mascarpone cream.

Fabio Pozzati

Head Chef Pozzati has been the executive chef at Osteria la Civetta for the past 3 years. He has graduated from Orio Vergani Culinary Institute of Ferrara in 2000. With 16 years of experience in the culinary industry, working at Michelin star rated restaurants in Italy, as well as working in Barcelona for 4 years, his knowledge for Italian food and their history is impeccable. Along with his classical culinary training, he is an expert on the tradition of Italian Cuisine including regional and local variations.

Osteria la Civetta

“In “La Civetta” we offer genuine food from Emilia Romagna, a northern Italian region, using the best and freshest ingredients. We shop from locally available seasonal products. Each dish is individually prepared. Portions are generous yet not exaggeratedly large. Our emphasis is on quality.”